Ah! My Goddess and The Demon Within
by Anthony
Summary: Urd's never known her demon mother her entire life. For the first time it's affecting her through strange dreams. Her mother finally appears and Urd is given the choice of whether to choose her demon or goddess side. Will Belldandy be able to save her?
1. Prelude

As we all know, the manga/anime _Oh My Goddess belongs to the one and only Kosuke Fujishima.  I am only using his wonderful ideas, characters, and story in order to create one of my own.  Also, this fanfic is derived from another Fanfiction.net author's story.  That is the fanfic "Goddess" by Kylara.  I am using certain excerpts from her story in order to support mine.  I tried to contact her to make sure it was okay, but she never replied to me.  So, if she's reading this, I am only using your story because it was beautifully written and the idea was incredible.  I give Kylara all credit to her excerpts putting an asterisk next to the scene.  I ask you to read hers' before you read mine.  _

            Now that we've covered that, let's begin the story...

Prelude 

            A young female goddess was curled up, nude, within the vicinity of a blue orb.  Her long platinum hair covered parts unseen.  Just like any other goddess, she bore three symbols upon her face; colored a pastel blue.  Two on her cheeks in the shape of thin right triangles pointing outward.  And one on her forehead in the shape of an inverted triangle.

She slept every so peacefully, her thumb in lying on her lips.  She was oblivious to what was going on around her.

(*)

"It won't work."

            "Even...?"

 "Yes.  He tried.  The two halves are inseparable."

"How did … she take it?"

"She's very young.  She didn't even really know what was going on."

            "But with a complex program like that, shouldn't she have been told beforehand?"

"He ordered her not to be told what He was doing.  He had a feeling it might not work.  She was not to be disappointed."

            "Then what is to be done with her?"

            "She is to choose.  She was given two choices: she may stay here in Heaven, and train as a goddess, or she can go to Hell, and become a demon.  Whatever side she chooses, her other will be as repressed as we can with our meager programs.  It is her choice to make."

            "But what good is she to us, if she chooses goddess?"

"Plenty.  The Council would like it if she were to be a goddess – she's powerful, you know, and intelligent.  A flair for potions, already, at her young age."

            "But she's half-demon!"

"That has nothing to do with it.  As I said, she can be either goddess or demon.  It is her decision."

            "B-but… she could turn on us!  Destroy Heaven!"

"For pity's sake, shut up.  You're disgusting me.  She's a child - she's not about to hurt anyone."

            "I don't believe that.  Children are all the more volatile - they simply cannot control their powers."

            "And you simply cannot control your mouth.  I told you - it's up to her."

            "And what if she chooses to be a demon?  Will He really let her go to them, when she has the ability to access Yggdrasil?"

            "No.  If she does choose to… leave Heaven, then she will be canceled.  Deleted.  It's as simple as that.  The demons might be a trifle annoyed, but there's nothing they can do about it."

            "Then this is good.  She doesn't seem to have any attachment to Heaven so far.  We'll have to kill her, then."

"Would you shut up?  You're repulsive.  Do you actually want her to die?  You'd wish for the death of a child?"

            "Better than have her taint the rest of us."

"That's it.  I'm reporting you, and this conversation.  I cannot stand to hear your prejudices anymore.  What you're saying is sacrilegious - do you hear me?  Sacrilegious!  For one of the Heavens to wish for the death of another goddess!"

"'Death of another goddess'?  That's madness.  She's not one of us.  Not a goddess.  I see nothing wrong with what I'm saying.  You can report me, and you'll be laughed at.  After all, she really is nothing but a half-breed – not goddess, not demon."

"You're correct there.  She's not one or the other.  But it's not your place to decide what she is – it's Urd's."

(*)

The fires blazed throughout the scorching pits of the place humans called 'hell'.  But, to those who knew better, it was known as the city of death: Muspelheim.  The screaming of tortured souls and the growls and roars of the demons echoed throughout its vicinity.

A large, burnt colored stone walkway was high above all of the dark flames.  It wound and bent around the stalagmites as it led to a massive doorway.

It was an opaque colored double door.  It was such a dark black that one's reflection could be seen from it.  But, for now, the only reflection that could be seen was that of the fire of Muspelheim.  The borders around the door and the curved door knobs were that of an obscure gold.  They opened, revealing a colossal throne room.

There were still stalagmites across the cave-like ceiling.  However, silk drapes of a black color hung down from above and all around the room.  It gave the throne room a completely feminine disposition.  There were golden torches hung from the sides of the walls, leading up to the actual throne.

The throne seat was the same in color as the door; opaque seats and golden trimmings.  Upon this seat sat the supreme ruler of this world of death and demise.

Her skin was a light brown tan.  She was dressed in a slim, tight black dress that reached the floor.  The dress accented all of the woman's curves and features.  It was revealing and showed quite a bit of cleavage.  It was a strapless dress, which was held up by her shoulders.  Spikes were made on the dress that pointed out from those shoulders.  She had hair the color of the rain clouds.  It was held up by a rather large hair band.  It was also black, and had golden linings all across it.

The final characteristic upon this woman, were the symbols upon her cheeks and forehead.  They were three orange six point stars that matched with her flame colored eyes.

She held a baby blue blanket in her hands and held it close to her heart.  It obviously was something very dear to her.  It made her face sadden when she thought about this distant, distant memory.  It was so painful for her that it has lived on with her for many years.

"My little girl…" she whispered, "…They took you away from me and programmed your innocent mind…"  She put the blanket down and stood up from her throne.  "You do not even know your true self," she said, "I shall help you come to terms with who you really are.  I will have my revenge upon the heavens who stole what was most dear to me!  Gods, prepare for war!!!"

(Title Appears)

**"Ah! My Goddess and the Demon Within"**


	2. Repressed Feelings

Urd lifted up from her bed, panting and sweating.  Her eyes were completely wide open in shock and panic.  She looked around to see that everything was fine and that she was in her bedroom at the shrine.  She sighed in relief as she wiped the perspiration off of her forehead.

"Just a dream Urd," she told herself, "No need to get so worked up about it."

A knocking came from the door.

"Y-Yes?" Urd asked.

"Finally, you're awake!" Skuld, the young goddess, shouted from outside her room, "Belldandy's almost finished breakfast so hurry up and get ready!"

"What are you, my alarm clock?!" Urd yelled sarcastically.

"Urgh…!" Skuld groaned, "You're lucky this door is between us, you know that?!"  Skuld looked to her side to see her little robot, Banpei, next to her.  "Come on Banpei," Skuld stormed off.  

Banpei beeped twice and followed.

"Such a pest," Urd sighed.

Belldandy was inside of the kitchen dressed in a green dress, with a pale yellow undershirt.  She wore a blue apron above it.  Her hair was in its usual fashion as she cooked some eggs upon the stove.  

Skuld stormed back into the kitchen, stomping her feet, and went to go sit at the table.

Belldandy could tell something was wrong, not only by the constant shaking of the house every time Skuld made a step.

"Hmph!" Skuld grunted as she sat down on the floor.

Belldandy walked over to her with a plate and a small glass of orange juice in hand.  She knelt down and placed it in front of Skuld.  "Skuld, is something wrong?" she asked.

"What gave it away?" Skuld asked in an angry tone.

"Oh…" Belldandy sighed, a bit hurt by Skuld's words.

Skuld noticed and knew she should apologize, "No, I'm sorry Belldandy.  I shouldn't have snapped at you like that."

"I wish you would tell me what's wrong," Belldandy said to her.

"It's Urd!  She's always being mean to me!" Skuld whined and complained.

Belldandy giggled, "Oh, Skuld.  You must understand Urd.  You know she isn't one to express her feelings well.  But, I promise you.  She isn't trying to be unkind to you at all.  She's just being a big sister, that's all.  Urd loves you just as much as I do."

Skuld knew that Belldandy was right, deep down inside.  She couldn't help but get annoyed by Urd's actions sometimes.  But, she sighed and then smiled, "You're right Belldandy."

Belldandy smiled back, "Now, eat up.  We're all going out today, remember?"

"Oh yes!  That's right!" Skuld shouted happily, "The mall right?!"

Belldandy laughed, "Yes, that's right.  It should be a good time."  She returned to the stove.

Urd entered the kitchen, dressed in long white pants and a blue blouse.  "Good morning," she said.

"Good morning Urd," Belldandy smiled, "Go ahead and sit down Urd.  I'll bring your meal to you in a minute."

Urd smiled back, "Thank you Belldandy."  Urd walked over to the table and sat down on the other side, in front of Skuld.  "Oh, if it isn't my alarm clock…" Urd grinned.

Skuld clenched her fist and her fork in a frustrated manner, but calmed down soon after.  She sighed to relieve her stress, "I'm going to let it slide today since we're going out."

"Oh, that's right," Urd reminded herself, "We are still going to the mall Belldandy?"

Belldandy turned and walked over towards the table with her meal, as well as Urd's.  "Yes, we are." she replied.  She sat down handing Urd her meal.

"Where is Keiichi?" Urd wondered as she looked around for him.

"He's outside mowing the lawn a bit before we leave," Belldandy answered.

"Yeah, he's trying out my Super Lawn Mowing Machine Model No. 3," Skuld added, with a bit of over-confidence, "'Cause, we all know what happened to Model No. 2."

The three goddesses stopped for a moment and started to think about that day.  A thought bubble formed above their heads.

Keiichi screaming as he was being dragged by the runaway lawn mower was the first image that came to mind.

Sweat drops fell on their heads.

"Oh, yeah.  I remember," Urd sighed.

That's when they could hear the lawn mower running nearby.

"That must be him," Belldandy stated.

The sound got louder, and louder.  It seemed like it was coming closer.

"SKULD!!!" someone called from outside.

The three goddesses rushed through the kitchen door that led to the outside.  They all gasped at what they saw.

Keiichi was being dragged by the lawn mower once again as it went on a furious rampage.  "Skuld, get me off of this thing!!!" Keiichi cried.

"Oh no!" Skuld pouted, "Ugh!  I guess I'll have to work on Model No. 4 now."

"I think we should help him," Urd suggested.

"Banpei!" Skuld called for her robot.

It came running from the kitchen and beeped a few times.

"Morph to cycle mode!" Skuld ordered.

Banpei's hands and feet changed into tires as he went on all fours.

Skuld leaped onto his back as they chased after Keiichi and the runaway motor.

Urd and Belldandy could only smile and laugh.

The crowds throughout the shopping center walked along the sidewalks as cars passed by in the streets, honking their horns and revving up their engines.

The three goddesses and the human walked along the paved paths as well.  They all had a shopping bag in hand from different stores.

"Ah!  This has been so much fun!" Skuld leaped with joy, "Thank you Keiichi, Belldandy!"

Keiichi smiled, "I'm glad you're having a good time."

Urd wasn't being her usual self.  She was silent, off to the side.  She didn't really say or have done anything that day.  She had one shopping bag, but she didn't purchase all that much.  And for Urd, that was a bit surprising.

Belldandy noticed her older sister was deep in thought and a bit lonesome.  She thought she'd go comfort and support her so she walked over to her.  "Urd?" she asked, "Is there anything bothering you?"

"Huh?" Urd wondered, snapping out of her dismal state, "Oh, yes.  I'm fine."

"Are you sure?" Belldandy replied, "I can tell when something's wrong.  I am your sister after all.  You can tell me anything."

Urd smiled.  She knew that there was no one else more trustworthy than her younger sister.  "Well, the truth is…there was this dream I had this morning," Urd told her.

"A dream?" Belldandy asked, "A bad one?"

"I-I'm not sure…" Urd pondered for a moment, "It was of me…when I was younger.  And at that high council and…"

Skuld interrupted their conversation when she had an outburst, "How cute!!!"  She rushed over to the window display of a baby department store.  "Look at all the cute baby things!" Skuld shouted in awe.

Keiichi walked up to her from behind and placed his hands on her shoulder, "Do you want to take a look?"

Skuld looked back at him, her eyes gleaming, "Could we?"

"Sure, why not?" Keiichi agreed.

"Yes, let's go look inside," Belldandy smiled, then looked to Urd and whispered, "We'll talk about this soon, okay?"

Urd nodded, "All right."

They entered the store as the small little bell rang.

A female employee greeted them, "Welcome.  If there is anything you need, please don't hesitate to ask."

"Thank you," Keiichi replied.

Skuld ran into the store and over to the toys section.  There were dolls and stuffed animals everywhere.  "Aww!  They're so cute!!" she shouted.

Belldandy and Keiichi walked over towards the baby cradles to look at them.  The cradle they saw was white, and cushioned with silky blankets.

The female employee approached them both, "Do you like it?"

"Eh?" Belldandy asked, "Oh, yes.  It's very beautiful."

"I'm sure your child would be very pleased with something like that," the employee told them.

The couple blushed with embarrassment.

"Uh…No, no…We aren't expecting…" Keiichi stuttered.

"Sure, sure.  But, I'm sure you two will someday," the employee smiled as she walked away.

Keiichi and Belldandy could not stop blushing and turned as red as can be.

Urd just simply stood at the entrance, waiting for her sisters.  She had her arms crossed in front of her.  She noticed a woman at the counter, paying for an item she had chosen.  

The woman held a newborn baby in her arms.

Urd couldn't help but feel sad when she saw them together.  It made her envious.  Urd never had a childhood like that.  One with a mother cradling you in her arms and singing you lullabies.  Urd has never known what that was like.  She had never known who her mother was either.  Only that she lived within her as her demon half.  That was the only thing her father, The Almighty, had discussed a little of.

She began to tear up a bit when she watched them.

"Urd?" Belldandy asked, as she and the rest of the party came to the entrance.

"Urd, are you crying?" Skuld asked.  She was a bit shocked to see Urd be so emotional like this.  She had never seen her like that ever in her life.

Urd turned away from them, "I'm fine!  Just leave me alone!"  Urd turned around and ran through the doorway and into the crowd.

"Urd, wait!" Keiichi called.

They all went outside and watched her run off.

"What's wrong with Urd?" Skuld wondered.

"I wish I knew," Belldandy sighed.


	3. Demon vs. Goddess

The scene was heaven.  The sun was shining down upon it as it usually did and everyone lived peacefully.  

Hild appeared next to the Almighty, Urd's father.

"_The demons in Muspelheim had a plan.  They wanted me to disguise myself as a goddess and gain the trust of the Almighty so that I could…kill him…" Hild narrated the dream, "__However, something happened that I didn't expect."_

Hild and the Almighty's lips met.

"_…I fell in love with him." she stated._

The scene changed into a bedroom in which Hild lied in a bed and held a young, newborn child with an upside down triangle on her forehead.

"_Your father and I gave birth to a beautiful little girl.  We named her…Urd." she said, "__We were so happy, all of us.  That is, until…"_

A doctor came into the bedroom and went up to talk to the Almighty.

"_They found out about my being a demon through your paternity." Hild stated, "__The Almighty grew furious with me.  He figured out of the demons' plans but I told him that I really did love him and that I was never going to do such a thing!  He…didn't believe me."_

The scene changed to the outskirts of Heaven, upon the clouds that led towards the earth.  The Almighty stood over Hild with the utmost anger in his eyes.

"_The gods banished me back to Muspelheim and in punishment would keep my child with them and raise her as a goddess.  She was to never know about me…" Hild said, "__That's when you grew up and your decision was to be made…They brainwashed you and forced you to choose your goddess over your demon!  They sealed that part of you away…forever…"_

Urd reawakened.  She blinked twice as tears formed down her face.  She stood up and looked to her mother.

"I made an attempt to return to heaven to take you back with me…but, they caught me and threw me back out," Hild finished, "I've been wanting to come back for you Urd.  I've been waiting, and waiting until you were old enough.  And now you are…and you've grown into a beautiful woman.  But…you've lost that part of yourself.  Now that I've broken the seal to your memory, perhaps I can restore that part of yourself that sleeps deep within your soul."

"So, it was them…that kept you away from me…" Urd realized, tears running down her face, "They…were lying to me.  They were just being selfish."

"Oh, Urd!" Hild cried as she embraced her daughter, "None of that matters now…We're together again.  That's what matters."  Hild grinned to herself and then kissed her daughter's forehead.  The symbol upon it began to glow and morph into two triangular lines going down Urd's forehead.

"Spirit of wind, who lives amongst us in secret…" a voice began to speak, "I beseech your gentle grace.  Come to me now and become intensity within my fingers!  Graceful Gusts!!!"

Hild stood her ground as immense gusts of winds struck her and Urd.  Hild put her palm in front of her and stopped the wind with her own demonic power.

Belldandy, Skuld, and Keiichi stood a few yards away still dressed in their sleepwear.

"Let go of my sister, demon!" Belldandy cried.

"A goddess?" Hild wondered.  She noticed the symbols upon Belldandy's forehead.  The diamond shape was all too familiar.  She began to get a flash of a young, newborn child with the same symbols.  "You…You're the one who persuaded Urd to choose her goddess half!" she shouted.

"What?!" Keiichi asked.

"Who are you and what do you want?!" Skuld yelled.

"I am Hild, Queen of Muspelheim…" Hild began, "And I am Urd's mother."

The two goddesses gasped.

"I have only come to reclaim what is mine," Hild stated.

"Urd is that true?!" Belldandy asked.

Urd had her back faced to them and wouldn't answer.

"Urd?!" Skuld shouted.

"Urd has already made her decision," Hild told them, "Show them my daughter."

Urd slowly turned around to reveal her new demonic symbols and her eyes the color of fire.

"Urd, no!" Keiichi gasped.

Out of Urd's back, World of Elegance began to emerge.  However, she had also changed along with Urd.  She was now completely black and her fingers had grown claws the size of arms.  She was now her own antithesis; a devil.

"World of Elegance!!" Belldandy cried, "Not you too!"

World of Elegance hissed and growled back at the goddess.

"Show them the fruit of your true, demon power, Urd!!" Hild ordered.

Urd and World of Elegance pointed their palms towards Belldandy and the others.  Each of them shot out flames of black-colored fire.

Belldandy quickly flew out of the way and into the air.

Keiichi and Skuld leaped off towards the side.

"Holy Bell!" Belldandy called.  Her blonde-haired angel appeared from her back.  

Belldandy could see it in Urd's eyes.  It was the same as Hild's; filled with menace and malicious intent.  She knew that Urd was not going to hold anything back.  With that, Belldandy knew she would have to battle her sister.

Urd stared up at her younger sister with the coldest and most vicious eyes.  They were overflowing with a lust for blood; the eyes of a demon.  

Skuld and Keiichi could only watch from the sidelines, at this point.  Neither of them could do much for either of the two goddesses.  Skuld didn't have the same power her two older sisters had and Keiichi was only a mere mortal; what could he do.

"Raarrghh!!!" World of Elegance wailed as she swiftly swooped up into the sky.

"Ah!" Belldandy gasped, caught a bit off guard.

Just before the devil reached Belldandy with her enormous claws, Holy Bell moved in front of her goddess and protected her.  She grabbed both of World of Elegance's arms and struggled to push her away.  

World of Elegance snarled and hissed at the angel, as thick streams of saliva draped from her lips.  She desperately wanted to feed upon the holy blood of the angel.  She broke one arm free and the swiped Holy Bell across the face, causing her to go flying towards the street below.  World of Elegance wasn't too far behind, following her prey.

"Holy Bell!!" Belldandy cried worriedly.

"Hagh!!!" a voice grunted as it approached.

Belldandy quickly turned around to see Urd rapidly approaching towards her.

Urd came at Belldandy with her own lightning quick speed.  She tried to bash Belldandy across the face, but Belldandy using her own gusty speed moved her head out of the way.  Urd tried again, and again, and again using karate-chop fisted hands to attack the goddess wherever she could.

Belldandy swiftly dodged each blow, "Urd!  Please, stop!!"  She did not want to fight back, but managed to hold her own in this feet of hand-to-hand combat.  She just tried to hold her own for the moment until she could figure out what to do.

Urd lifted up, spun around and tried to kick Belldandy in the face.  Belldandy ducked the blow.  However, Urd came at her right after and managed to punch Belldandy in the chest and then once again across her face, pushing her back.

"Belldandy!!" Skuld and Keiichi shouted fearfully from below.

As the battle of these two went on, their allies raged on in battle.  Holy Bell and World of Elegance.

World of Elegance pointed both of the palms of her hands at the white angel, firing enormous blasts of black fire.

Holy Bell responded by creating a forceful barrier of green colored wind magic, protecting her from blazing dark magic.  She then decided to take the opportunity and strike back.  From behind her, gusts of gigantic winds appeared almost suddenly to blow away the devil that stood before her.

World of Elegance covered herself with her arms to defend herself from the elemental magic.  It was no problem to her, however.  Her newfound devil power was too strong for the wind spell.  She spread out her dark wings and flew straight through the wind, breaking the spell in its tracks.

Holy Bell's eyes widened in surprise as the devil approached her.  Holy Bell turned around, spread out her own wings and began to fly while being chased by World of Elegance.

Belldandy hunched over a bit in pain, after having been hit in the chest pretty hard.  She touched her cheek, which was a bit bruised, and looked over to her sister.

Urd had the hugest smirk upon her face.  She really did look like her mother now.

"_Urd…Why…?_" Belldandy thought to herself, "_Why did you choose this?_"

"What are you waiting for my daughter?!  Be rid of the goddess!!" Hild shouted from afar.

"With pleasure…" Urd spoke, her voice now echoing with evil.

Belldandy's eyes widened and began to tear.  She couldn't stand seeing her sister like this.

"I've gotta do something…" Skuld mumbled to herself, "And where is Peorth?!"

Keiichi could see how anxious and worried the young goddess.  But, there was nothing he could for he felt very similar.  Being a mortal meant feeling helpless in situations like these.

Skuld looked across from Belldandy to see Holy Bell and World of Elegance dueling it out.  She knew she had to help.  "Noble Scarlet!" she cried. 

Out of her back, the young blond-haired angel with the crimson eyes appeared.

"Skuld?!" Keiichi gasped.

"I'm going to help Holy Bell.  I can't just stand here and do nothing." Skuld stated.  She turned to look at Keiichi.  "Keiichi…Please stay here…" she smiled warmly.

"Skuld…" Keiichi sighed.

"Come on Noble Scarlet!" Skuld shouted as her angel nodded in agreement.  They zoomed off towards the angel in need.

Keiichi clenched his fist in frustration.  He hated feeling so helpless.  The people that he cared about most were in mortal danger and he couldn't do anything to help them.  And what's more, the woman he loves most in this world is in battle of life and death.  He knew he had do something to aid them.  He gathered his thoughts and his strength and ran the other way, "I've gotta get help."

Urd had created a large ball of dark magic, in the form of black bolts of lightning, in the palm of her hand.

"Urd, stop it!  Why are you doing this?!  How could you choose this?!" Belldandy cried to her sister, trying to reach her, "Urd!  We're sisters!  Can't you see that?!"

"Ha ha ha…" she laughed, "It's not that I don't see it.  You are my enemy now, which means I have to kill you.  But, don't worry…I'll kill you quickly so that it doesn't hurt too much…just because you're my sister."

Belldandy gasped within herself.  She couldn't believe what she was hearing; the words that were coming out of Urd's mouth.  She truly was possessed by her demon half.

Holy Bell was blasted into the cement wall of a nearby department store.  She was blown so hard that she created an massive crater around herself.  She was scratched and bruised all over her tender skin.  

The devilish World of Elegance floated above her, licking her fangs in a lust for the kill.

"Leave her alone!" Skuld shouted from behind the devil.

World of Elegance turned around to see her.

Skuld lifted up her arm towards the sky as her angel did the same from behind her.  "Spirit of water, who bestows life and displays strength…" she began to recite a spell.  From beneath, from sparkling blue lights, luminous streams of thick blue water spiraled up from her feet all the way up to her palm.  Together, the streams began to form into an orb of vast water.  "I appeal to you and ask for your embracing elegance.  Come forth to me now and become waves within my palm!  Blissful Typhoon!!"

The immense spell of water came crashing into World of Elegance's body, knocking her into a nearby store.

Skuld and Noble Scarlet hurried to the aid of the angel.  "Are you all right?" Skuld asked her.

Holy Bell nodded and smiled.

Skuld smiled back, almost as if she could understand her, "…You're welcome."

"It seems you three need a more worthy opponent," a voice said from behind them.

Skuld and the two angels turned around to see the Queen of Demons, Hild.  Skuld gasped frightfully.

Urd and Belldandy were still at a face-off.  

"I will destroy the gods and the heavens for having lied to me and having neglected the Queen of Muspelheim for being my rightful birth mother!!" Urd shouted at the top of her lungs.

Belldandy could feel the pain in her voice.  She didn't know what the whole story behind it all was, and didn't want to say anything not to seem ignorant.  "Urd, you are my sister…but…but…" she began to say, "…As a Goddess First Class, I will not allow you to harm anyone!"

"So be it," Urd replied.

Belldandy began to raise her arm into the air, her voice echoing with miraculous magic, "Spirit of wind, who lives amongst us in secret…"

"Oh, no you don't!" Urd yelled as she threw the ball of dark magic she had at Belldandy.

The attack hit Belldandy and pushed her back even farther as she screamed in pain, "Aaagghh!!!"  She stopped herself with her flying ability and then opened her eyes to look forward.  Urd was nowhere to be seen.  "Where did she…?" she began to ask.

At that moment, Urd teleported behind her and grabbed her by her neck.

"Ugh…!" Belldandy cried as she struggled to break free.

"A young goddess…how foolish you are…" Hild laughed, "Look at all the trouble you've gotten yourself into.  And now because of your foolishness…you and the angels die…Ha ha ha!!!"

Skuld stared back at Hild with the most worried look as Noble Scarlet held onto her clothing in fear.

Urd approached Belldandy's ear and whispered, "Now we'll see if you still want me as my sister as I'm ripping your insides out…goddess…"  She licked Belldandy on her cheek in the most disgusting manner.

Tears streamed from Belldandy's face as, through the corner of her eye, she could see the demon Urd.


	4. The Cavalry Arrives

"Let her go!" a stern, female voice shouted from the side.

Urd looked over to where the voice came from, only to see a sharp spear made of frigid ice coming towards her.  She took one arm off of Belldandy and pointed her palm towards the spear.  Black flames shot out, burning and melting the ice into nothingness.

Belldandy took this opportunity, catching Urd off guard.  She transformed her own body into the form of green wind, swiftly swerving out of Urd's grasp with a huge gust.  She rematerialized a few feet away from her sister.  

"Wha…?!" Urd growled.

Belldandy looked over to the person who had saved her.  She gasped, "!"

Hild raised both of her slim arms into the air as large bolts of black-colored lightning pulsated, "Your short lives end here!!"

Skuld, and the two angels behind her, closed their eyes in fear, knowing what was coming and knowing they were helpless to stop it.

"Hagh!!!" Hild screamed as she pointed her arms towards them, causing the bolts to shoot through.

Just when the attack was going to hit Skuld and the angels, two silhouettes swiftly flew in.  One of the silhouettes had the wings of an angel and grabbed both Noble Scarlet and Holy Bell.  The other silhouette was in the shape of a woman, who took hold of Skuld.  The two figures rescued them all and took them out of harms way; the bolts of lightning crashed into the building where they once were.

"What?!" Hild shouted with disgust, "Damn them!"

Skuld noticed that she wasn't in any pain and felt the arms of someone around her.  She slowly opened her eyes and looked up to see the woman who had rescued her.  Her eyes lit up, "Peorth!!"

Peorth, dressed in her usual black and brown uniform, held the young goddess and smiled, "I'm glad we made it in time."

Skuld looked to the side of Peorth to see her angel, Gorgeous Rose, carrying Noble Scarlet and Holy Bell.  Skuld smiled once again and looked back to Peorth, "Thank you Peorth."

Urd looked over to the woman who had saved Belldandy's life.  She looked at her with the most repulsed look, "What the hell are you doing here?"

"I can't believe it!" Belldandy still gasped, startled, "Rind!"

That's right.  Floating just a few more feet away from the two, was the Battle Goddess herself: Rind.  She held her long, sharp axe at her side.  Both of her battle angels were hovering behind her.  Spear Mint, who had been the one who fired the javelin of ice, was on the right while her counterpart, Cool Mint, was on the left.

"It's nice to see you Belldandy," Rind stated with a slight smile.

Peorth and the rest of the group rejoined.

Holy Bell returned to Belldandy's side as Hild accompanied her daughter.

"Well, well, well…" Hild smirked, still in disgust, "Can you believe it?  The Goddess of the Axe…The Great Battle Goddess Rind and her two battle angels…What a pleasure."

"The cavalry sure has arrived, hasn't it?" Urd mumbled to herself.

"I've always wanted to take on a Battle Goddess…Show me what you've got…!" Hild told her, gesturing her to come with her index finger.

Rind looked down below to see Keiichi watching.  She could see the worry upon his face.  She and her angels flew below to speak with him.

"Where the hell is she going?!" Hild complained.

"Rind…what is it?" Keiichi asked, as Rind arrived.

"This will be a fierce battle…We won't be able to protect you so, please…" Rind told him.  Cool Mint flew over to Keiichi and connected with him.  "Cool Mint will aid you now," she smiled.

Keiichi nodded, feeling much more reassured, "Be careful…"  He looked up to see Belldandy watching him.  "You too Belldandy!" Keiichi shouted.

Belldandy felt encouraged and smiled to him.

"Now…!" Rind said as she and Spear Mint returned to the battle.  She flew to Hild, twirling her mighty axe above her head.  She pointed it at Hild's neck.

Hild stepped back a bit and grew furious with the goddess.

Rind looked back to her comrades, "Peorth, Belldandy!  I will handle the queen!  You take care of the princess!"

"A-All right…" Belldandy agreed, looking over to her sister.  She knew how strong her sister now was and still did not want to battle her.  

Peorth comforted Belldandy by putting her hand on her shoulder, "I'll try not to hurt her."

Belldandy nodded with a smile, "Thank you Peorth."

"What are you two waiting for?!  Let's do this." Urd said as she put her fists up.  World of Elegance was right behind her.

"Skuld!" Peorth called.

"Y-Yes!" she replied.

"Can you and Noble Scarlet handle World of Elegance?" Peorth asked her.

Skuld and her angel looked to each other for a moment, then nodded, "Yes!"

"We're depending on you," Peorth said to her in a gentle tone.

"I-I'll do my best!" Skuld shouted determinedly, but still nervous.

"Be careful Skuld," Belldandy said.

"Let's go Belldandy," Peorth stated.

"Show me what you can do…" Urd grinned.  Both Urd and World of Elegance pointed the palms of their hands at the two goddesses, firing enormous black flames.

Belldandy and Peorth quickly moved out the way.

Skuld and her angel flew behind World of Elegance.  That's when Noble Scarlet shot a small blast of water at her, to draw World of Elegance's attention.

The devil hissed and snarled back.

"Come and get us!" Skuld yelled.

"Raarrgghh!!" the devil roared as she flew towards them.

"Yikes!!" Skuld screamed as she and Noble Scarlet flew away; the devil chasing them.

Hild teleported away from Rind very quickly, in order to get away from the sharp blade.  She reappeared behind Rind and tried to blast her with an energy ball.

Rind dodged the attack by flying to the side.  She took her chance and zoomed off towards the queen demon.  She twirled her great axe into the air and then swiped down.  Hild moved out of the way.  Rind tried to side-swipe her, but the demon still dodged too rapidly.  Rind was persistent and kept on trying.  She tried to swipe her up, down, and from side to side.  Even still, she could not get one blow in.

"Ha ha ha!" Hild laughed as they both stopped, "Is this all you've got?  I expected more from the legendary goddess."

"I'll wipe that smug off of your face, demon!!" Rind yelled as she raced back into battle.

Peorth and Urd combated one another using martial arts skills.  The two of them, high up in the air, kicked, punched, and dodged each other's blows.  Peorth spun around and tried kicking Urd in the face, while Urd immediately ducked.  Urd replied with an attempt at an uppercut, but Peorth moved back.  

Urd was tired of using physical skills and decided to change the momentum.  "Hah!" she shouted as she blew Peorth back with a blast of black flames.

"Ugh!" Peorth cried in pain as she was pushed back.

"Peorth!" Belldandy rushed over to her friend with Holy Bell right behind.

"Peorth, are you getting rusty?  All that time in Yggdrassil and we seem to have lost our edge.  Ha ha ha!!" Urd laughed.

"We have to detain her," Peorth said softly, "Then, we can try to reach her somehow."

"What do you plan to do?" Belldandy asked.

"Leave it up to Gorgeous Rose and myself," Peorth replied, "Then, it is up to you."  Gorgeous Rose looked at her goddess and nodded in agreement.

Hild fired another blast of black magic to Rind.

Spear Mint stepped forward in front of her goddess to protect her by shooting another spear of ice at the oncoming magic attack.  The attacks then collided, destroying one another.

"Thank you Spear Mint," Rind said.

"Hiding behind your angel?  Is this what they call a Battle Goddess?" Hild mocked her.

"Spear Mint…Please assist me," Rind pleaded.

Her angel nodded.

The two of them raised their arms to the sky, preparing to chant an incantation.  "Spirit of ice, who dwells within the most frosted of winters…" she began to speak.  Icy winds began to form a large, round circle above Rind's body.  Small ice shards, and icicles began to shape within it.  "Befall to your servant now and pierce the coldest of hearts!" Rind continued.

Behind her, Spear Mint was creating another spear, preparing to fire it.

Rind finished the spell, "Arctic Blaze!!!"

When the final words were spoken, Spear Mint threw the large icicle into the magic Rind created.  Once the spear went through, the ring of magical ice conjoined together with the spear to create dozens more.  The immense, and vast icicles went hurling down towards Hild.

Hild managed to dodge most of them.  Nonetheless, a couple did manage to breakthrough and hit her.  "Agh!" she shouted as she was blown into a nearby brick wall, creating an enormous crater.

Rind and Spear Mint floated towards her with smirks upon their faces.  "Feel the wrath of a goddess…" Rind spoke, with her arms crossed in front of her in a confident manner.

Peorth, with Gorgeous Rose behind her, hovered before the demon princess.  The both of them stared down each other, waiting for the other to make the first move.

"Peorth, give it up!" Urd shouted with an arrogant smug across her face, "My power exceeds your own!"

"I suppose I'll have to prove your theory wrong then!" she replied, "Now, Gorgeous Rose."

The blonde-haired angel wrapped in rose vines floated over Peorth and drifted before her.  She pointed the both of her arms towards Urd.  Out of her palms, thousands and thousands of red rose petals flew outward, swarming Urd like a horde of locusts.

"Agh!!  Ughh!!!" Urd screamed as she was covered by them and at the same time distracted.

Exactly what Peorth wanted.  "Good job Gorgeous Rose," she smiled, "Now, we must contain her."

Gorgeous Rose nodded, affirming what her goddess said.  She pointed her arms towards the streets below them.  Her vines coiled around her arms and stretched down towards them.  The green vines struck into the cement of the street and then plunged upward underneath Urd's position.

Urd finally fended off the mass of rose petals by blazing them with her flames.  It was to be too late before she'd realized she wasn't out of danger yet.  The vines lunged up from under her and enveloped her entire body, confining her.

"Urgh…!" Urd struggled to break free, "Get me out of this!"

"We'll try to hold her," Peorth said to Belldandy.

Belldandy nodded in agreement, knowing this might be her only chance to get through to her sister.  She and Holy Bell flew across the air and over to the captive Urd.

The wind blew around, swerving their clothes and their hair.  The only thing they could hear was the sounds of the gusts and the sounds of spells around them.

"Urd…" Belldandy began to speak softly.

"What do you want?!  I swear to you when I get out of here…!" Urd snapped back.

Tears formed in Belldandy's eyes.  She was deeply hurt by Urd's words.  She looked across the face of her sister, seeing her crimson eyes and the new symbols upon her face.  "U-Urd…" she said, "Even though…you may look different now…and you may be talking differently…I know that you're still the same Urd I've known ever since I can remember.  When we were children…up until now."

Urd looked at her for a split second with the most sad face.  It seemed it was affecting her.  Nevertheless, her demon side was still overpowering her goddess side.  "You think I care?!  And, why are you saying this?!  Can't you see that once I get free I'm going to kill you?!" Urd yelled back in the most condescending tone.

"I'm saying this…because it's true, Urd." she replied, "Urd is Urd.  That will never change…"

At that moment, images flashed through Urd's mind.  She began to see the same newborn child that her mother saw earlier.  "Urgh…!  Ugh…!!  Ahh!!!" she screamed in frustration and confusion.

Hild stopped battling Rind for that second to see her daughter in trouble.  "Urd, don't listen to them!!" she shouted.

"Yah!!" Rind shouted loudly as she tried to swipe Hild with her axe. 

Hild moved out the way and then kicked Rind in the stomach.  Spear Mint came at her, but she simply blew her away with a powerful black magic spell in the form of lightning.

"Spear Mint!" Rind cried.

Hild took the opening and blasted Rind in the chest with the same attack.

Rind was blown back, right next to her angel.

Hild flew up near her daughter, until Peorth flew in front of her to stop her.  "Urd!" she called over Peorth, "Don't listen to her!  She is a goddess!  Don't you remember?  They were the ones that lied to you and sealed that part of yourself away!  Isn't that right?!"

Urd stopped her screaming, and began to return back her old demon self.  She was silent as her eyes flared with evil.  She had the most angry look on her face as she looked back up towards Belldandy.  She no longer could see her as anything else but her enemy.  "That's right…" she said, "They lied…They pushed you away…!  They kept you away from me!  And that is unforgivable!!!!"  With those words, Urd's body emitted black flames and then combusted them onto the vines that enclosed her.  Her power was so strong that everyone around her had to try and stand their ground from the intensity.

Skuld and Noble Scarlet, who had been battling World of Elegance, looked up to see the scene, along with devil.  "Oh no…!" Skuld gasped, with her mechanical explosives in hand.

World of Elegance flew away from them and returned to her master.

"Hey, wait!" Skuld shouted.

Keiichi was on the sidelines, with Cool Mint behind him, watching what was going on.  Both he and the angel had the most worried looks on their faces.  "Urd, no…" he said softly.

"Urd, please stop!!" Belldandy pleaded.

World of Elegance connected back with Urd and began to do the same movements as her.  The two of them raised their arms to the sky as dark and murky clouds began to form above them.  The clouds pulsated with lightning.

"Yes!  That's it Urd!  Show them your power!" Hild smiled with pure delight in her eyes.

Rind and Spear Mint joined the rest of the group, along with Skuld and her angel.

Out of Urd's back, wings made of black flames materialized.  They were no longer angel wings.  They were devilish, bat-like wings.  

"What's she doing?!" Skuld asked, frightened.

"She's going to use a demon spell!!  A powerful one at that!!" Rind answered her.  She was just as scared as Skuld was.  She knew the goddesses were going to have to brace themselves.

Keiichi ran across the street and below the goddesses, along with Cool Mint.  "Belldandy!" he cried.

She looked to him, "Keiichi!  Get out of here!"

"Not without you!" he replied.

"Keiichi…" she said to herself softly.  She realized he really did care about her.  He was willing to stay here with her even in this catastrophic event.

"Spirit of torment, who resides in the souls of the devil!" Urd began to shout out, her voice echoing throughout the skies, "I, your servant, implore your malevolent essence!  Power of hate, I call to you now!  Become a pure manifestation of evil within my core!  Use my body as your vessel!!"

"Prepare yourselves goddesses!! Ha ha ha!!!" Hild laughed evilly.

"Devil's Torture!!!!" Urd finished.

Bolts of black lightning struck forth from the clouds and hurled down towards Urd's body.  They created a sphere of electricity around her body and, at first, slowly began to grow and intensify.  Soon enough, and very quickly, it grew more rapidly exploding around Urd's body.

All of the goddesses covered their faces as the explosion occurred, their body hurling off in all directions, "Aggggghhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!"


	5. The Aftermath

The dark magic attack exploded within the shopping center, causing the nearby buildings to crackle and fall. The rumbling from the debris falling echoed throughout the city. The smoke shot upward like a volcanic eruption, thick and dense, wavering into the sky.

Down below where the battle had ended, none of the goddesses nor Keiichi were in sight. All that was left was the cement stones from the buildings and a massive crater left by Urd's magic attack.

Nevertheless, in the distance, a pile of rubble began to move as someone crawled out from beneath it. Skuld, covered in dirt and soot, made her way out of the rubble, lying upon her chest. Her vision was a bit hazy, but she could see someone standing in the distance. As her eyes tried to refocus, she could then see Hild holding an unconscious Urd in her arms.

"U-Urd…" Skuld whispered.

Hild caressed her sleeping daughter's cheek as she smiled to her warmly and very motherly, "You exhausted so much of your power…but…it is your true power nonetheless."

"H-Hild…!" Skuld weakly yelled as she managed to herself back up onto feet. She steadily took a couple of steps forward, while holding her arm in pain.

Hild looked over to her and smirked, "I see one has awakened…but of course it wasn't going to kill you. You are all goddesses, after all."

Skuld faced downward, her body trembling with so much anger. She clenched her fists as her arms rested at her sides. "Let her go…" she said softly, her voice seeming muddled due to her constant trembling.

"What was that?" Hild replied.

"Let my sister go!!!" Skuld yelled loudly, lifting her head as her tears flailed from her sobbing eyes.

"Dear little goddess, Urd may be your sister, but she is MY daughter," Hild smirked, "She has chosen which side she loves most. News flash my dear…you're not on it."

"That's not true!!" Skuld cried, "Urd and I…we fight sometimes! We argue a lot!"

Hild laughed, "Now you see why she chose me over you."

"No, you're wrong! Belldandy told me…the reason why we fight is because we love each other that much!" Skuld shouted, "…She is right! I love Urd!!"

"Hild!!" a voice yelled from the sides. Peorth steadily made her way over to Skuld's side, placing her hands upon Skuld's shoulders. "As a Goddess First Class, I will stop you!" she shouted.

"Enough of this banter from you both," Hild replied, "Both of you goddesses shall die!!" Hild raised one arm into the air as bolts of dark lightning hailed down from the sky and gathered together within her palm. "Hah!" Hild yelled as she thrust her arm forward, launching the massive energy towards the two goddesses.

Peorth and Skuld were stopped dead in their tracks, not having enough strength to move out of the way.

Just as the attack was about to strike them, two silhouetted angels zoomed inward and both picked up one of the goddesses, flying out of harm's way.

The two goddesses were set down a short distance away, as they saw both Cool Mint and Spear Mint hovering near them.

Keiichi, while holding an unconscious Belldandy, had his arm extended outward. It was he who sent Cool Mint to help.

Rind had stuck her axe into the ground, using it for support as she had her own arm extended, for it was she who had Spear Mint rescue them.

"Hahahaha!!!" Hild laughed evilly as she began to ascend towards the sky, her daughter in her arms, "Urd is mine…now…and forever!!! Hahahaha!!!!" With that having been said, Hild and Urd both vanished into the shadows of the night.

"Belldandy!!" Skuld cried as she rushed over to her unconscious older sister.

The other two goddesses followed.

"Is she all right?!" Skuld asked worriedly.

"She'll be fine…" Peorth stated, examining Belldandy, "Her physical wounds don't seem so severe. However…"

"Her emotional ones seem to have taken its toll," Rind sighed.

"We need to…" Keiichi began to say when Rind noticed a gash on the side of his head from the explosion.

"Oh my word!" Rind gasped, "He's bleeding!"

Keiichi had already lost too much blood and began to feel weaker. He slowly began to fall towards the ground as Rind caught him, and Skuld held onto her sister.

"Keiichi!!" Skuld cried.

"Let's get them back to the shrine, hurry!" Peorth shouted.

In her room, Urd was lying down on her bed, gazing up at the ceiling. She hurt all over – when He had been running the program on her, she had felt like she was splitting apart at the edges of her body, of her mind, when everything she knew _was_ an edge. Hours later, it still hurt. And the program hadn't even worked.

But she was okay, because she was Urd, and she was always strong, and always understood. Even though He hadn't told her what the program was, she had known. He had been trying to separate her into two – the demon half and the goddess half.

And she had been willing to try it. Because she could feel them inside her - they made up her soul. Two halves, of her soul. But instead of sliding neatly together, as two parts of a puzzle should, they grated, burning her heart as they each fought for dominance. Yet, even as they warred, they refused to part, even by the most powerful of programs.

Her own personal Heaven and Hell: courtesy of her Holy Father and her Evil Mother. At least, that's what gossip said.

And gossip in heaven was usually uncannily accurate. She had heard the others talking. About her 'deciding'. After all, He had told her that since she was half-and-half, she was free to choose to be either a goddess or a demon. If she chose to be a goddess, she would stay in Heaven, and train to get her license, and become a real Goddess.

He hadn't told her what would happen if she chose to be a demon.

But she knew.

"But it might be better, huh?" Urd whispered, looking up at the ceiling. There was little that Urd loved in Heaven, or cared for. Fun only went so far. Certainly, it might be worth staying in Heaven for Him, because He actually cared, but there was nothing else. Her father didn't particularly care either way; when he found out that his liaison with a demon woman had produced a child, he had been told to immediately bring the baby – Urd - to the Heavens. And so, out of duty and not much else, he had done so, much to the anger of the demons. After all, to them, a demon that would have the ability to trip goddesses with their own tricks would be worth more than anything else. Obviously, though, for those in the Heavens, this could not be had. Yet, still, a goddess could only be allowed to use goddess powers, and so her demon part did more harm than good. And her father was not pleased with her, either – not that the fathers in Heaven had much to do with the raising of their children in the first place - but he stayed away more than was usual.

But Urd didn't care about that. She was not, by nature, a clingy child.

But then, there were so few things _to_ care about, even in Heaven. Perhaps death _would_ be better – it would certainly ease the minds of many wary goddesses.

But Urd wasn't one to please others, and certainly not at her own discomfort. She was fairly sure that the cancellation method wasn't very pleasant. And, damn it, she didn't want to die.

But she didn't particularly want to live, either. At least, not live like she was living now - just trudging through each day, listless and sadder than the lowest of mortals.

Then what?

A knock on the door stirred Urd out of her reverie. "Can I come in?" came a muffled voice from the other side. Urd sighed. "Yes."

A goddess stepped in, holding a white clay pitcher, filled with an odd liquid that trickled messily over the sides when she went off balance. Epona, one of the goddesses whom Urd genuinely liked, was the one who took care of all the births of goddesses and their early childhood. Urd had been partly raised by her, but had known, for so many years now (thanks to a person who felt it was 'her part' to reveal the truth), that the goddess had been warned to be wary of Urd. After all, until it was confirmed, everyone was to be wary of her, but not 'influence her decision'. Because she was half-demon, first and foremost, then half-goddess. (But if that type of attitude wasn't influencing, nothing was.) But despite it, she had still liked her, as Epona had always been good and kind, with a genuine liking for Urd.

Now, she beamed at Urd. "Urd-chan, I wanted to see you," she said, in that soft, comforting voice of hers. "How are you feeling?"

Urd frowned. "Not good."

Epona's eyebrows swung together, rather like knitting needles. "Resting didn't help?"

Urd sighed, kicking her feet up in the air as she plopped down on a chair. Looking up at Epona through squinted eyes, she said tiredly, "Not really."

Epona walked more into the room, then placed the pitcher on the table next to Urd's bed. "Well, drink a cup of that, will you please? It's a sort of simple painkiller. It won't do much good, but it should help… a little," she said rather doubtfully.

Urd examined it carefully. "What's in here, anyway?"

Epona paused. "Oh, just a few little things… I can't give you a very good pain potion, you know, I stink at them. Luckily for me, very complex potions aren't good for children anyway. But… let's see… some crystal water, a lily petal, and the tear of a newborn goddess. Nothing more."

There was another pause. "Do you have any soda handy?" Urd asked.

Epona's eyes widened. "S-soda? Why, yes, I do, as a matter of fact, but…" she looked down at Urd, who held out a hand. Sighing, she handed Urd a small, plastic bottle of Coca-Cola. Inwardly, she sighed – there went her last bottle of Coke from Earth. Ah, well, Urd probably needed more of it anyway.

Untwisting the cap off, Urd promptly poured some of the Coke into its lid, and then dumped that with much hand waving and silky finesse straight into the pitcher. After a rather sudden bang, greenish-gray smoke wafted up from it, floating through the air and giving off a rather noxious scent. She then poured it into a cup and downed it without blinking. Coughing, a little gray smoke rose from her throat, but then she smiled at Epona. "Carbonation. It can really change potions. Thanks, Epona – I feel so much better now!" she exclaimed, handing her back the Coca-Cola bottle to Epona.

Epona's jaw was somewhere on Earth. "You… you knew how to change the potion, just like that?"

Urd shrugged. "Something like that, I guess," she said carelessly, with the manner of someone who's 'been there, done that, three million times'. "It was in a book I read, and I thought it might work. It was just a guess, though. If it didn't work, nothing would've happened anyway."

Epona closed her mouth again. "Anyway, Urd-chan, I'm glad that you could use the painkillers, but that's not why I'm here today."

Urd blinked. "Really? Then why?" she said, slightly surprised.

A smile fluttered across the goddess's face. "There's been another birth this week," Epona said, with a soft, painful smile. "A very beautiful little goddess was born, earlier this morning." While we were trying to rip you into two, she added silently. In her opinion, Urd was born the way she was for a reason – and there was no cause for messing with children like that, none at all. _Especially_ children that were part-goddess. Even for Him.

Oblivious to Epona's thought pattern, Urd rolled her eyes impatiently. "Goddesses are born quite often, Epona," she said matter-of-factly. "What's so wonderful about this one?"

A peaceful, but slightly sly smile crossed Epona's lips. "You'll have to see for yourself. If you're feeling better, I'd very much like you to go see her with me. Please?"

Urd had no choice – with her new-and-improved painkillers, she scarcely felt a thing – to lie and say that it still hurt would not only be against Urd's morals (she believed in being brutally frank), it would also be saying that she didn't fix up the potion very well.

And so, to the nursery they went. Epona was thrilled that Urd was going, and for the same reason, Urd was displeased. After all, leaving and entering her room was a hassle – dozens of programs and spells were set-up around it, so that in case Urd ever went – wrong – they'd be able to control her right away.

There were no such things around a true goddess' door.

A gentle breeze flew through the Queen of Muspelheim's throne room. The black drapes that hung high above whistled with the wind as the lit torches flickered with every soft gust.

Urd lied unconscious upon a bed that seemed to have been lifted up from the rocky ground beneath it; it was probably done by some kind of magic. The bed itself was in an oval shape, with spikes protruding upwards like the stalactites in the cavernous throne room. There were silky violet covers and bedding that covered the newly born Demon.

She tossed and turned for a bit, droplets of perspiration emerging upon her forehead. Within a few moments, her red eyes opened ever so suddenly, as if awakening from a disturbing dream. She slowly lifted up and held her forehead in her palm.

"That dream…" she whispered to herself, her voice now having a demonic echo to it. She removed the silky covers and levitated herself from the bed, landing gently upon her feet. Urd saw that her attire had changed. She wore a black sleeveless top that was almost skin tight. There was a diamond shape cut out in the center of her chest, allowing for a large amount of cleavage. She also wore a black leather corset around her abdomen that gave her a simply curvaceous look. There were twisting golden bands around her biceps, along with gorgeous chandelier earrings draping off of her ears. She had tight leather pants and a pair of black stilettos to complete her ensemble.

"Welcome home my daughter," Hild's voice echoed throughout the throne room from her seat. She held a wine glass filled with some red drink that steamed.

"Mother, is this really…?" Urd began to ask in disbelief, looking around amazed at her new surroundings.

"You are home Urd," she said, taking another sip from her glass, "Welcome to Muspelheim."

"…Muspelheim," Urd sighed, letting it all sink in.

"You are finally at your rightful place…here by my side," Hild told her. She waved her arm to the side as waves of dark magic appeared out of thin air, forming into a duplicate of her own throne. Hild eyed her daughter, signaling her with her eyes to come sit by her.

Urd wasted no time, having longed for this moment secretly ever since she was young. She gently lifted up into the air and flew over towards the throne, sitting next to her mother.

Hild placed her hand upon her daughter's in comfort, "You exhausted so much of power on Earth. Did you rest well?"

"Yes, I did," Urd smiled, her crimson eyes gleaming with ignorant joy, "That power…it was…"

"Incredible, was it not?" Hild smirked, lifted from her seat. As she walked away from the throne, her glass vanished within seconds with the use of magic. "It was your true power Urd," Hild explained, "The innate power that has been sleeping within your soul for all of this time. Now it has finally been released, and you have come full circle."

Urd extended her arm outward as a ball of black flame combusted within her palm. She looked at it joyfully, realizing the extent of her new power. It seemed that everything was limitless, without boundary.

"Now, it is time to seek revenge on those who separated us all of those years ago," Hild spoke, "…With you at my side, the Heavens cannot stand in our way."

Urd stood up and walked over towards her mother, "He will pay for having kept you from me! The universe needs no Heaven!"

"Yes Urd! Muspelheim will reign supreme and you and I will never be separated…ever again!!" Hild shouted victoriously, "Now…we must prepare to send Him to his knees and beg for mercy!"

"No god or goddess will stand in my way…" Urd grinned, clenching her fist tightly, soon raising it high into the air.

"War is upon us!!!"

"Is that really possible?" Keiichi wondered, leaning against the wall, arms crossed.

He and Rind stood outside in the hallway of their home. They had all rushed back after the battle with Urd had exhausted much of Belldandy's strength, not just her magic.

"It seems it is," Rind replied, ever so stoically.

"But Rind…I thought you were a Valkyrie! You're a high ranking soldier aren't you?" Keiichi stated, "Shouldn't you know about these things?"

"He only lets us know what we need to know," Rind answered, "It seems not even he anticipated these turn of events. I can only imagine that I will be called back to Heaven to handle this disturbance."

"Did she really choose this? Did Urd choose to embrace her Demon half?" Keiichi questioned.

"I know we would all like to think that Hild brainwashed her," Rind continued, "However…we also have to accept the possibility that perhaps Urd did make that decision. You all said yourselves that she was acting strangely, correct?"

Keiichi looked away ashamedly, realizing that in the back of his mind he was thinking the same thing. He had known Urd for so long now that she was apart of his family, just as Skuld and Belldandy were. He couldn't bear to think that she would forsake what they all shared to become what she had become.

Rind began to walk towards the sliding screen door, placing her hand upon his shoulder, "I may be a warrior…but even I understand family. I know that deep down Urd does to. It will just…take some time before she realizes which one is right for her."

"What if she really chooses Hild?" Keiichi asked worriedly.

"Then it is Urd's choice," Rind stated, sliding the door open.

Inside of one of the temple's bedrooms, the unconscious Belldandy slept soundly. Skuld knelt next to her, worrying ever deeply for her sister, as Peorth watched over them both.

"How is she?" Rind asked.

Keiichi quickly entered and knelt next to Belldandy as well.

"She's fine. Belldandy needs this rest more than anyone I think," Peorth said with a pained look upon her face, "That battle wasn't only tough on her physically…"

"Oh Belldandy…" Skuld cried, her eyes welling up. She reached into the covers and held her sister's hand. "I should've been there to protect you," she said sadly.

"There was nothing you could've done Skuld," Peorth reassured her.

"I know!!" Skuld yelled loudly, frustrated with the situation. She realized that her outburst was uncalled for and calmed herself down. "But…" she said softly, "We are all sisters…We need to be there for one another, and now…now…one of us isn't here anymore."

Keiichi ran his fingers through Belldandy's hair, making sure she was as comfortable as possible. "Skuld…we are all family, right?" he asked her all of a sudden.

"Eh?" Skuld wondered, sniffing and wiping away her tears, "What?"

"Keiichi, Skuld, Peorth, Rind, Belldandy, and Urd…" he smiled gently, looking over to the young goddess, "We are all family, right?"

Peorth smiled warmly to Keiichi, touched by his words, as Rind even let out a faint smile.

Skuld closed her eyes and dropped her head for a moment. When she looked back up, she had a huge smile planted upon her face. "Yes…that's right Keiichi," she said, "We are all family."

"Then we'll get through this together, as a family," Keiichi told her.

"We are all like strands of rope, woven together by fate," Peorth added, "The more strands of rope, the stronger it is."

"That is why we will strive to get Urd back," Rind agreed.

Skuld was so pleased to hear it, "Thank you."

"Once Belldandy awakens…we'll figure out our next move," Rind told them as they all gazed upon Belldandy's sleeping face.

_As Belldandy slept, she dreamt a dream that seemed almost all too familiar to her. The dream was in the first person and it felt as if she was lying down, staring upwards towards what appeared to be a white ceiling. She heard loud footsteps heading towards where she lied down. The shadows of two young women cast over her as she saw someone who she had known all her life._

_Young Urd watched over her and smiled, tickling her a bit with her finger. _

_"Isn't she adorable, Urd?" a soft female voice spoke, quickly ending the dream in flash of white light._

Everyone had gathered in the dining room, surrounding the table and having a warm cup of tea.

"Urd's power was really something," Keiichi spoke, "I've never seen anything like that from any of the other demons."

"Urd is no normal demon now," Peorth explained, "She is the daughter of Hild, Queen of Muspelheim. The power of low level demons does not even compare."

"Meaning if we had to face her again…" Skuld said sadly.

At that very moment, the phone rang. Peorth quickly lifted from the floor, "I'll get it." She rushed back into the hallway.

"The only thing I'm worried about is what Hild's true goal is," Rind stated, "It cannot simply be a family reunion. She must want more."

"If only we knew a way to get Urd back…" Keiichi pondered to himself.

"There is a way," Belldandy spoke to them ever so determinedly.

Everyone turned their head to the doorway where Belldandy stood.

"Belldandy!" Skuld gasped, rushing towards her.

"You know a way?" Rind asked.

"You're right…if and when we face Urd again, it will be a tough encounter," she began, "But we can get her back. While I slept, I heard what Keiichi said. Family will always come back together."

Keiichi smiled.

"I will not let Hild alter Urd's heart," Belldandy stated, affirming her determination.

Peorth ran back quickly into the room, pleased to see Belldandy awake, "Oh Belldandy! It's a good thing you're awake!"

"What is it Peorth?" she wondered.

"That call was from Heaven," Peorth told them, "They need us up there right away. Something is going on, and I don't like the feeling I'm getting. He wants to see us as soon as possible."

Rind stood up, nodding her head in agreement, "Understood."

Skuld followed, "I hope they have good news."

Belldandy walked over to Keiichi, caressing his cheek, "I wish you could come with me."

"I know that you all will be safe, that's all that matters," he smiled, "Hurry back with good news, okay?"

Belldandy nodded, smiling, "Yes, we will all be together again, I promise."

"Let's move out," Rind stated. She walked over towards the window, as it glowed intensely with a violet light. Without thinking twice, Rind walked through it and teleported away.

"We'll be back before you know it!" Skuld winked as she rushed off towards the hallway and into the bathroom. Within seconds, the three that were left could see a flash of light come from the bathroom, indicating that Skuld had already left.

Belldandy kissed Keiichi on the cheek as she pulled out a compact mirror and opened it. She simply touched the face of the mirror and was sucked into it, teleporting away.

Peorth looked around everywhere for a medium that she could use to teleport to Heaven. Sweat drops forming all around her, she was frantic and couldn't find what she was looking for anywhere. She looked under the table, between the books in the bookcase, and even had to rush towards the kitchen.

Keiichi pulled out his photo camera when Peorth rushed back in, panting and heaving.

"You couldn't have done that sooner?" she gasped for air, "Oh, never mind!" She snatched the camera from his hand and touched the lens, whisking her away.

Keiichi walked over towards the window, and looked out to see the twinkling stars out in the night sky. "Be careful…Belldandy," he whispered.


End file.
